The more I think about the proposal by the USGA
and the R&A to ban anchoring the putter, the more it occurs to me that
there are other issues confronting the game that need to be addressed first.
Therefore, here is my list of 10 proposed rules
changes:
*
Rule 13-9/a:
If a player lies 8 and still has not reached the green, the player
shall be deemed to be "done" for that hole.Player should pick up his ball and move
on.
*
Rule1-17/b:
Any player(s) who thinks he looks stylish or golf-y in argyle
socks, vests and hats shall be escorted from the course and banned from the
game until further notice.
*
Rule 6-10/b:
If at any time during a round, a player(s) hits the 5½-hour
mark, the round is deemed to be over.Player(s) shall immediately return to the clubhouse and have a drink. Or
two.Player(s) have done enough
damage for one day.
*
Rule 20-11/c:
If a player is deemed to be to blame for reaching the
aforementioned 5½-hour mark, player shall toss his bag and clubs in the
dumpster behind the clubhouse on his way out.
*
Rule 24-10/d:
If a player is addressed in what he deems to be a smug and
condescending manner by a surly young assistant in the pro shop who is
attempting to charge more than $60 in green fees at a mediocre course, the
player is permitted reach across the counter and slap the assistant.
*
Rule 33-1/12:
If while admiring a logoed shirt in the pro shop a player discovers
that the shirt retails for $125 or more, the player is permitted to hock a loogie onto the front of the shirt and discreetly return it
to the display table.
*
Rule 25-2/18/c:
If a player has plunked down hard-earned cash for a round only to
discover that the pro shop has failed to inform him that the greens and/or
fairways were aerated the day before, the player is permitted to fail to inform
the pro shop that he has left a massive, coiled floater in the toilet in the
men’s locker room.
*
Rule 6-14/a:
A player who has reached the age of 55 is permitted to invoke
"Senior Privilege" three times during any round, entitling him to move up one
set of tee markers (two if he feels like it) at any time, at no penalty and
without explanation or apology.
*
Rule 2-16/d:
In match play, if Player A fails to concede a short putt to Player
B that everybody knows Player B will miss, and if Player A is doing so only to
demoralize and humiliate Player B, Player A shall be deemed "A prick."Any player who accumulates three "Pricks"
during a match shall be deemed an "Unmitigated Smacked Ass."
*
Rule 3-12/c:
Snapper soup in the grill room shall be mandatory.
As the snow falls outside my
office window, it’s hard to believe that 24 hours ago I was playing golf
– not in Florida or Scottsdale or North Carolina, but in Philadelphia.
South Jersey, actually, since
the course I played was RiverWinds GC in West
Deptford, with its string of scenic holes running along the banks of the Delaware
River.
To me, yesterday’s round was
"bonus golf."When you live this
far north, any round of golf after Thanksgiving qualifies as bonus golf, as far
as I’m concerned.Like most years,
I haven’t officially lugged my clubs down to the basement for the long winter’s
rest.But I have taken them out of
the trunk and leaned them against the wall at the top of the steps to the
basement.
That’s where they were
Sunday when I got all from Ed Shearon, who designed RiverWinds, Raven’s Claw and The Vineyard at the
Shore.Monday was going to be a
nice day, with the high hitting 50 degrees, and he knew (a) I’m a sucker for a
last-minute round and (b) I have a flexible schedule.Ed also wanted me to see how much
conditions have improved at RiverWinds.
He was right – RiverWinds is vastly improved since Ron Jaworski
bought the course.The fairways
were lush and green and the greens showed none of the splotches and ball mark nicks
I remembered from my last visit.
I’ve got my heart set on at
least three or four more bonus rounds in December, before winter fully sets
in.I don’t care how goofy I look
– two, three four layers , a knitted cap, hand warmers – so long as
I can get the club around.
The best part about bonus
rounds of golf is you feel like you’re stealing.The chilly air is also invigorating, not
to mention the snifter of Jameson whiskey afterward.It’s just good to be outdoors.
Several years ago, we had a
run of three or four years when it was warm enough to playon New Year’s Eve.I remember because I did.That was the ultimate bonus golf.
Steve - No clubhouse yet, although there is a nice dining facility on the other side of the tennis center. That wasn’t there the last time I was there. I didn’t see a range but we got there late.
Steve
[11/28/2012 6:53:28 AM]
Any word on a new clubhouse and/or driving range at Riverwinds? Was the course soggy or relatively firm?
Joe Bausch, Villanova chemistry
professor and photographer extraordinaire behind The Bausch Collection of
golf course galleries, has been at it again.
Recently, we uploaded another 12 more course
galleries, bringing to total number of galleries of courses in Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland to 153 by my count.The man gets around, what can I say.
Another tip of the visor to Professor Bausch, whose passion to
experience new courses and photograph them as he goes is pretty much unrivaled.If you’d like to suggest a course for
Joe add to The Bausch
Collection, please send me an email.Soon, I’ll have an email set up so you can email Joe directly.
As a reminder, here’s the original blog post I
wrote about Joe and how MyPhillyGolf came to host his
collection of photos:
I am delighted to
report that we are adding a terrific new feature and invaluable resource to MyPhillyGolf– The Bausch
Collection.
That’s the name I
half-jokingly suggested for what is a remarkable collection of photo
galleries of golf courses in the region. Haven’t played a course
but want to get a sense of what it looks like? Check out The
Bausch Collection.
The first few
galleries have already been uploaded to MyPhillyGolf.
To see them, on the home page, go to the upper right-hand corner of the menu
bar and click on the drop-down under "Photos."
Then click on the
galleries themselves, and each individual photo for an expanded version.
What you see is
only the beginning. In the coming weeks, we will add photo galleries
for another 50-60 courses in the region. To my knowledge, it will
be the most comprehensive assemblage of Philadelphia-area course photos
anywhere.
The Bausch
Collection is named for Joe
Bausch, a Villanova chemistry professor with a passion for golf
course architecture. As he plays courses, Joe snaps photos along
the way, from every conceivable angle. From the quality of the images,
I assumed Joe was working with some sophisticated single lens reflex
camera with a top-dollar lens. Not so. He get these results with
a small, high-end point-and-shoot camera.
MyPhillyGolf came by
the photos because I happened to be playing a recent round of golf with Joe
at the GC at Glen Mills
(gallery coming soon) when he mentioned that the growing collection of
galleries was beginning to tax the limits of his 10-year-old Mac and
wondered if we’d like to host them.
I had to think
about it for a full half-second before I said, "You bet we would."
The Bausch
Collection has been a work in
progress for quite some time, as Joe points and shoots his way through
the regional golf landscape. If you know of a course that deserves to
join the collection, let me know and I will suggest it to Joe.
In the meantime,
keep an eye out as we add more and more course galleries -- and tell all your
golf friends about The Bausch Collection.
When I got the call a couple of days ago from
his daughter-in-law that Jim Sykes had died, I couldn’t help but think back
over the 16 years I’d known him.
I liked Jim.He was a no BS guy.He’d tell you what he thought, whether
you wanted to hear it or not.He
and I spent more than a few hours together, hanging around GAP events, walking
golf courses, on the phone.He even
took me to Pine Valley, where he was a long-time member, a couple of
times.What’s not to like about
that.
Up until the time he moved into a retirement
home, Jim and I lived in adjoining suburbs and we’d bump into each other at the
shopping center from time to time.Those meetings took on new meaning after he retired as Executive
Director of the GAP in 2000.We’d
catch up, gossip about GAP and about golf, and he would describe his new life
as a retiree.He missed being in
the game.
That’s because Jim Sykes was the ultimate
pro.Years ago, when I was trying
to figure out the proper balance for covering the national golf scene (i.e.
Tiger, Phil, et al) and the local golf scene (GAP, WGAP, Publinks),
I would often seek out fellow my golf writers at other big-city metro papers to
ask how they did it.
I’d go on for a few minutes about all the GAP
did and the time and space that the Inquirer devoted to their events.More often than not, I’d be met with a
blank stare from my fellow scribes.They’d shake their head and say, "It’s not really an issue for me
because we’ve got nothing like the way you describe GAP."
GAP is a very special organization, pretty much
in a league of its own among local and regional golf associations.For that, Jim Sykes deserves and
enormous amount of credit.That, to
me, is his proud legacy.
The last time I spoke to Jim was two or three
months ago.I was writing a column
for the Global Golf Post about the GAP Team Matches and I wanted to mention the
one year GAP was forced to cancel the Team Matches because of the late snow,
1994.I figured he would remember everything.
I reached him in his retirement village in
Audubon, where he and Sue had moved not too long before.He complained a little about his
health, but his mood was good and his mind was sharp.Sure enough, Jim had instant recall of
every detail I needed. I wasn’t surprised.I also wasn’t surprised when we gossiped
for another 20 minutes.
Jim Sykes has earned his place in Philadelphia
golf history.
I can’t wipe the grin off my
face this morning. Yesterday, 11
weeks and a day since undergoing left hip replacement surgery on July 31, I
played my first full 18-hole round.Ah, the marvels of modern medicine.
My score (87) was
irrelevant.What matters is that I
felt great, I had no pain and I could make a decent pass at the ball, including
the necessary but worrisome rotation of the hips.
On top of all that,it was an perfect fall day and the
company was excellent:Jeff
Silverman, golf writer and a veteran of double- hip-replacement himself 11
years ago, who advised and counseled me throughout my own hip odyssey.
Until now, I had only played
two nine-hole rounds and hit balls a few times.I went to the range on the eight-week
anniversary of the surgery, but after a a bucket, I
realized I was pushing it.I waited
another week and tried again.It
was a little better, but I still feared asking my new titanium hip to do more
than it was ready for.This healing
business takes time.
Two weeks ago, 10 weeks
after going under the knife, I went out for my first nine holes with one of my
regular golf buddies, Tim Black.It
went well, and my swing felt good, but I was pooped after nine and ready to
call it a day.
I played my second nine one
day last week, when I looked up my computer and realized it was another clear,
crisp fall afternoon.I jumped up
and headed to the course.That also
went well, but again, nine holes was all I was ready for.
Yesterday, I was determined
to go the full 18, and I’m glad I did.I got tired toward the end and I limped a little the last few holes, but
that was okay.Another 18-hole
round is in my near future.
I write this to share my own
progress, obviously, but I also write to encourage anyone else who might be
hobbling around on a bad hip or knee, potentially facing the same decision Jeff
and I faced.
Joint replacement surgery
and the weeks of recovery are no joy ride, that’s for sure. But the alternative
is living in constant pain, and living a very restricted life.I’m glad I did.Faced with the same circumstance, I’d do
it again.Slowly but surely, I’m
getting my life back.
Once
upon a time, before he was famous, I knew Beano
Cook and used to spend hours with him on the phone.It was 30-plus years ago, when I was a
reporter at the Minneapolis StarTribune, writing, among other things, a weekly
column on sports media.
Back
in those days, Beano was the PR guy
for ABC Sports in New York, when Monday
Night Football was in its heyday and Keith
Jackson was dominant voice of college football.Beano
and I would talk at least once a week and oftentimes, two or three times a
week.
What
I remember most about those conversations is that we’d quickly discuss the
business at hand – i.e., whatever or whoever ABC was promoting –
then we’d spend 30 minutes gabbing and gossiping about everything from the
sports departments at the other networks, to what athletes or sportscasters
were jerks, to movies, to politics, to comedy.
Beano was so funny and so acerbic, with a New York sense of everything, and
it was like getting a one-man performance from Don Rickles.He knew everything about college football.I used to say, "Beano, why don’t they put you on TV?"
Up
to that point, Beano was a voice on
the other end of the phone.I got
my answer when I finally saw a photo him.As smart, quick-witted and lovable as Beano was, he was not the network’s idea of hunky sports
talent.He looked like a
middle-aged, balding man and a paunch, who likely took the subway to work.
Of
course, ESPN eventually became part
of the ABC/Disneyempire
and somebody in power there realized that Beano’s
mug be damned, he was a real talent.They put him on TV and he had a great, long run.Meanwhile, every time his mug popped up
on my TV screen, I’d think back to our wonderful phone conversations.
A guy came up to me at a wedding reception last
weekend and said, "You’re a golf guy, do you think Tiger will break Jack
Nicklaus’ record?"
"No," I replied without hesitation and,
frankly, without a doubt.
Remember when Tiger Woods was winning a major
every year, sometimes two a year? (Once, three in a year).Back then, it was a foregone conclusion
that Tiger would not just break Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors but most likely
shatter it in spectacular fashion.I can remember conversations where we kicked around the possibility of
Tiger winning 25 or 26 majors before he was done.
In 2006, when the U.S. Golf Association
announced that Merion GC would host the 2013, I can even remember realizing
that Tiger could very well break there record in our back yard, making the East
Course the setting for yet one more historic moment in the game.
Now, like golf fans everywhere, I watch Tiger
and shake my head in dismay over what once was.I know, I know, Tiger won three times
this year, and he has climbed back to No, 2 in the World Golf Rankings.But he hasn’t won a major since the U.S.
Open in 2008, and he didn’t exactly grow his legend with that performance in
the recent Ryder Cup.
I never thought I would write or utter these
words but suddenly, the man can’t putt.Four- and five-footers, which used to be his stock-in-trade, now bedevil
him.It used to be, the more
crucial the putt, the more sure you were that he would bury it.He was ice.Not any more. Really, would you be
surprised to see him show up at a tournament with a belly putter, or maybe going
to the "claw."
I read something somewhere not long ago that
suggested that Tiger can’t handle the pressure any more.It’s like his gears have been
shredded.He wants to win majors
and Ryder Cups too much now, to show the world that he has indeed fought back
to reclaim his rightful place atop the game.Sounds plausible to me.
All I know is, I have finally begun to believe
that Tiger will be lucky to win one more major, never mind the four he needs to
tie Nicklaus and the five he needs to eclipse him.I don’t see it happening.
Joe, Hope your hip is coming along. I agree with you. There was also a time when Tiger’s worst round at a tournament would be anywhere from one under to one over at the very worst. Now, it seems like he can’t put four decent rounds together. How many times this year did we see him get into contention on Thursday or Friday, then shoot a very un-Tiger like score of Saturday or Sunday and go tumbling down the leaderboard. That just didn’t happen before.